Scoopfeeds — Intelligent news, curated.
international

DR Congo superfan denied US visa to support team at World Cup

Al Jazeera · Jun 27, 2026, 7:35 PM · Also reported by 4 other sources

Key takeaways

  • Michel Kuka Mboladinga become an iconic figure for his motionless pose at DR Congo games, but a World Cup repeat unlikely.
  • Mboladinga rose to prominence at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in ⁠Morocco at the turn of the year.
  • Mboladinga bears a remarkable resemblance to Lumumba, wearing colourful suits with his country’s colours.

Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.

Michel Kuka Mboladinga become an iconic figure for his motionless pose at DR Congo games, but a World Cup repeat unlikely.

xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo DR Congo fan Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, also known as Lumumba Vea in the stands in Mexico [Eloisa Sanchez/Reuters]By Reuters Published On 27 Jun 202627 Jun 2026Democratic ‌Republic of Congo superfan Michel Kuka Mboladinga will miss their key World ⁠Cup clash against ⁠Uzbekistan on Saturday because he was not granted a United States visa.

Mboladinga rose to prominence at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in ⁠Morocco at the turn of the year.

Article preview — originally published by Al Jazeera. Full story at the source.
Read full story on Al Jazeera → More top stories

Also covered by

Aggregated and edited by the Scoop newsroom. We surface news from Al Jazeera alongside other reporting so you can compare coverage in one place. Editorial policy · Corrections · About Scoop